A spokesman for Thames Water said: “A blockage of fat, oil and grease in our sewer pipe led to the flooding today [Wednesday].

"This is an example of the disruption caused when fat is put down the sink and not disposed of responsibly. We urge everyone to ‘bin it – don’t block it’”.

Thames Water engineers cleared the blockage by lunchtime on Wednesday and the firm is planning to have the sewer cleared with a high pressure jet to clear any remaining materials and reduce the future risk of flooding.

The firm added the deposits that caused the flooding were not necessarily the fault or responsibility of the nearest premises.

"Sewers flow by gravity so it could be a person or business streets away pouring fat and cooking oil down their sink which then flows down the sewer pipe and creates a flooding problem for others," added the company.

Trouble on the trains

Meanwhile, heavy rain caused disruption to South West Trains services between Shepperton and Teddington due to water flooding the railway.

The flooding also caused issues with the signalling at Fulwell. South West Trains confirmed at 3.30pm services were running again, albeit at reduced speed.

However, the lines were beset by further flooding issues during the afternoon rush-hour due to further flooding in the area.